The organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest have announced that any country involved in an \u201carmed conflict\u201d or \u201csensitive geopolitical situation\u201d will no longer be allowed to host the annual tournament.<\/p>\n
The announcement on Wednesday by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises Eurovision<\/a>, comes as Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine and Israel\u2019s war on Iran, genocide in Gaza, occupation of Lebanon and raids and arrests in the occupied West Bank continue.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n While Russia was barred from competing in the contest at all in February 2022 over its invasion of Ukraine, Israel was permitted to continue both hosting and competing despite multiple protests and the boycotting of the contest by several countries last year.<\/p>\n Now, while Israel may not be able to host the event \u2013 which it did in 2019 as winner of the 2018 contest \u2013 it can still take part.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what we know about what this all means.<\/p>\n What is Eurovision?<\/p>\n The Eurovision Song Contest, which began in 1956, is an annual event co-produced by EBU and its member broadcasters, \u201cmost notably the public broadcaster of the preceding winning country, the Host Broadcaster\u201d. Next year, Bulgaria, which won the 2026 contest in May, will host.<\/p>\n Ukraine won the contest in 2022 but was unable to host the following year amid the war with Russia.<\/p>\n Despite its name, the contest is open to any country which has broadcasting operations in Europe and is a member of the EBA. Israel was the first non-European country to participate in 1973.<\/p>\n What has Eurovision announced and why?<\/p>\n On Wednesday, EBU said that under new rules, \u201cthe winning broadcaster will automatically be ineligible to host the contest if an armed conflict, a sensitive geopolitical situation, or any other situation materially affects the security, safety or stability of their state or immediate region.\u201d<\/p>\n If necessary, EBU said it will commission \u201can independent security assessment of the winner\u2019s region\u201d and hold consultations to decide if the winning country may still host.<\/p>\n If the winning country is not allowed to host, then the contest\u2019s organisers will find an alternative host broadcaster.<\/p>\n The organisers of the contest have come under increasing pressure to exclude Israel from the contest since its genocidal war on Gaza began in 2023. Some participant countries refused to take part last year, and several protests have taken place.<\/p>\n It is, however, unclear if the change in the contest\u2019s rules is due to the boycotts and Israel\u2019s participation.<\/p>\n Eurovision director Martin Green said in a statement on Wednesday: \u201cThe Eurovision Song Contest is constantly evolving, and our annual review of the rules is an important part of making sure the contest remains fair, transparent and consistent for all those who participate, including the millions who engage with the event globally.\u201d<\/p>\n He noted that the rules are guided by feedback from EBU members.<\/p>\n \u201cThese changes are about giving everyone involved greater clarity, protecting artists and ensuring the contest continues to provide a safe and welcoming environment, while preserving the spirit and integrity that make the Eurovision Song Contest so special,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Why have some countries boycotted Eurovision in recent years?<\/p>\n As soon as Israel\u2019s participation in the 2026 contest was confirmed by EBU in December last year, several countries, politicians and artists began calling for a boycott of the contest.<\/p>\n On December 4, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Iceland and Ireland\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0they would boycott the contest if Israel took part.<\/p>\n Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, representing the Netherlands, accused Israel of \u201cproven interference\u201d in the previous year\u2019s contest while also noting its \u201cserious violation of press freedom\u201d during the Gaza war. It said \u201cunder the current circumstances, participation cannot be reconciled with the public values that are fundamental to our organisation.\u201d<\/p>\n Ireland said it would not take part either, with its broadcaster RTE citing \u201cthe appalling loss of lives in Gaza and humanitarian crisis\u201d as the reason for its boycott.<\/p>\n Slovenia\u2019s national broadcaster said it would boycott participation \u201con behalf of the 20,000 children who died in Gaza\u201d, while Spain\u2019s public broadcaster RTVE also announced it would not participate.<\/p>\n \u201cThe situation in Gaza, despite the ceasefire and the approval of the peace process, and the use of the contest for political goals by Israel, make it increasingly difficult to keep Eurovision a neutral cultural event,\u201d RTVE\u2019s secretary-general, Alfonso Morales, said in a statement.<\/p>\n On December 10, Iceland\u2019s broadcaster RUV said the Nordic nation would also not participate in the 2026 competition. \u201cIt is clear from the public debate in this country and the reaction to the EBU\u2019s decision last week that there will be neither joy nor peace regarding RUV\u2019s participation,\u201d the broadcaster\u2019s Director-General Stefan Eiriksson said<\/a>\u00a0in a statement.<\/p>\n Despite the boycotts, the contest took place in May this year, in Vienna, and 35 countries participated.<\/p>\n Has there been any response from countries affected?<\/p>\n Not from Israel, which last hosted the event in 2019. It came second place in the 2026 tournament and thus very close to hosting it again in 2027.<\/p>\n Last year, amid widespread protests over Israel\u2019s confirmed participation in the contest, Israeli President Isaac Herzog wrote in a post on X on December 4: \u201cIsrael deserves to be represented on every stage around the world, a cause to which I am fully and actively committed.\u201d<\/p>\n Russia is already barred from hosting or participating, and Ukraine would be unable to host the event even if it could.<\/p>\n Ukraine has never hosted Eurovision. In 2023, when it was meant to host the contest, the United Kingdom did so instead.<\/p>\n EBU told Al Jazeera: \u201cThe rules of the Eurovision song contest apply to all participating broadcasters and any assessment of the ability to host would be made much closer to the time of the event.\u201d<\/p>\n Will countries that boycotted this year return?<\/p>\n There has been no response so far from Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia or Ireland about the contest\u2019s new rules.<\/p>\n However, given that they staged their 2026 boycott over Israel\u2019s participation in the contest, not just whether it would be permitted to host, it seems unlikely they will change their stance.<\/p>\n Many critics have stressed that Israel\u2019s participation in the contest signals EBU\u2019s hypocrisy given its stance on Russia.<\/p>\n